Method of Molding and Mold with Succesive Stage Cooling Channels

ABSTRACT

Various embodiments provide methods and apparatus for cooling a mold in a compression molding assembly, thereby enabling increased cycling speed and efficiency. Embodiments include a coolant flow path that transports a fluid coolant into and out of a cooling ring around the molding assembly&#39;s core. The coolant flow path may divide into several channels within the cooling ring. The coolant flow path may also include a series of stages with varying volumes or cross sectional areas designed to regulate the flow of coolant.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/277,022 filed Oct. 19, 2011 entitled “Compression Molding withSuccessive Stage Cooling Channels”, which is a continuation-in-part ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/114,327 filed May 24, 2011, both ofwhich are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

Compression molding is a known manufacturing process for producingmolded objects from various plastics. Plastic material is placed in anopen mold cavity. A plug or other forcing member then closes the moldand compresses the material to expand to the shape of the mold cavity.The mold opens and the part is ejected. The plastic material isgenerally preheated, sometimes above the melting point, to make theplastic material more flexible for molding. Once the plastic material iscompressed into the form of the mold cavity, the molded plastic may beejected and the cycle repeated. This process may be repeated frequentlyto make a large number of molded objects quickly. To enable high speedoperation, the mold may be actively cooled.

SUMMARY

Various embodiment assemblies include a compression molding assembly formolding a plastic material featuring a coolant flow path including aplurality of stages, wherein at least one of the plurality of stages hasa combined cross sectional area greater than the other stages, andwherein the coolant flow path is configured to cool a center core of thecompression molding assembly.

Further embodiments include a compression molding device for molding aplastic material including a bubbler with a bubbler inlet and a bubbleroutlet, a center core located at an end of the bubbler with a pluralityof center core inlets and a plurality of center core outlets, a coolingring disposed around the center core with a plurality of internalgrooves, a plurality of traversing channels, a plurality of arcuategrooves, and a plurality of external grooves, and a thread core disposedaround the cooling ring, wherein the bubbler, the center core, thecooling ring, and the thread core are configured such that a fluidcoolant may flow through the bubbler input, the plurality of center coreinlets, a plurality of internal channels bounded by the plurality ofinternal grooves and the center core, the plurality of traversingchannels, a plurality of arcuate channels bounded by the plurality ofarcuate grooves and the thread core, a plurality of external channelsbounded by the plurality of external grooves and the thread core, theplurality of center core outlets, and the bubbler outlet.

Further embodiments include a method for cooling a compression moldingdevice with a fluid coolant, the compression molding device including abubbler, a center core, a cooling ring, and a thread core. The methodincludes directing the fluid coolant into a bubbler inlet of thebubbler, directing the fluid coolant into a plurality of center coreinlets of the center core, directing the fluid coolant into a pluralityof internal channels bounded by a plurality of internal channels of thecooling ring and the center core, directing the fluid coolant into aplurality of traversing channels of the cooling ring, directing thefluid coolant into a plurality of arcuate channels bounded by aplurality of arcuate grooves of the cooling ring and the thread core,directing the fluid coolant into a plurality of external grooves of thecooling ring, directing the fluid coolant into a plurality of centercore outlets of the center core, and directing the fluid coolant into abubbler outlet of the bubbler.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitutepart of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of theinvention, and, together with the general description given above andthe detailed description given below, serve to explain features of theinvention.

FIG. 1A is a cross sectional view of a cavity stack showing a coolantflow path into the stack.

FIG. 1B is a close up view of the coolant flow path in the cavity stackof FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a cooling ring viewed from the bottom.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a cooling ring viewed from the top.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the cavity stack from FIG. 1A butrotated thirty degrees to show a coolant flow path out of the stack.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of a cavity stack for producing a capwithout a plug seal showing a coolant flow path into the stack.

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the cavity stack from FIG. 5 butrotated thirty degrees to show a coolant flow path out of the stack.

FIG. 7 is a process flow diagram of an embodiment method for cooling acompression molding device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present assemblies, devices, and methods will be described in moredetail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in whichembodiments of the inventions are shown. The assemblies, devices, andmethods, however, may be embodied in many different forms and should notbe construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, thepresent embodiments are provided so that the subject disclosure will bethorough and complete, and will convey the scope of the invention tothose skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elementsthroughout.

The following is a list of numbers and their associated elements thatappear in the drawings and the following description of the variousembodiments:

-   10 Center Core-   11 Cooling Ring-   12 Thread Core-   13 Tamper Band Core-   14 Bubbler Tube-   15 Air Tube-   16 Air Plug-   17 O-Ring—Center Core-   18 O-Ring—Cooling Ring-   19 O-Ring—Mandrel-   20 O-Ring—Air Plug-   21 Coolant Flow Path—Bubbler Inlet-   22 Coolant Flow Path—Center Core Inlet-   23 Coolant Flow Path—Internal Channels in Cooling Ring-   24 Coolant Flow Path—Traversing Channels in Cooling Ring-   25 Coolant Flow Path—Arcuate Channels in Cooling Ring-   26 Coolant Flow Path—External Channels in Cooling Ring-   27 Coolant Flow Path—Center Core Outlet-   28 Coolant Flow Path—Bubbler Outlet-   29 Stripper-   30 Cavity-   31 Outer Ring-   32 Cavity Bottom-   33 Cover Plate-   34 Adapter-   35 Machine Nut-   36 Mandrel-   100 Compression Molding Assembly-   102 Upper Assembly-   104 Base Assembly-   106 External Threads of the Thread Core-   108 Plug Seal Gaps-   110 Internal Assembly Threads of the Thread Core-   112 Coolant Flow Path

In this description, the term “exemplary” is used herein to mean“serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementationdescribed herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed aspreferred or advantageous over other implementations.

The various embodiments provide methods and devices for cooling acompression molding assembly, thereby enabling increased cycling speedand efficiency. Embodiments provide coolant flow paths through a moldassembly through which a coolant fluid (e.g., water) flows into and outof a cooling ring around the molding assembly's core. The coolant flowpath may divide into several channels within and around the cooling ringto enable efficient heat transfer and more uniform thermal profileswithin the mold assembly than achieved in conventional designs. Thecoolant flow path may include a series of stages with varying volumes orcross sectional dimensions configured to regulate the flow of coolant.Embodiment methods and devices may enable greater production rates withlower coolant flow rates.

FIG. 1A is a cross sectional view of an embodiment compression moldingassembly 100 that may be used for molding plastic caps. Molding assembly100 may comprise an upper assembly 102 and a base assembly 104. Theupper assembly 102 may include may include a stripper 29, a tamper bandcore 13, a thread core 12, a cooling ring 11, a center core 10, and amandrel 36.

In operation, the center core 10 may contact and compress a plasticmaterial (not shown). A cooling ring 11 may be configured around thecenter core 10. A first end of a thread core 12 may be configured aroundthe cooling ring 11. The thread core 12, cooling ring 11, and centercore 10 may all be concentric about a central axis as shown in FIG. 1A.

A second end of the thread core 12 may be assembled about a mandrel 36.In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1A, the thread core 12 ispositioned within a tamper band core 13 which forms tamper bands of thecaps. However, the tamper band core 13 is optional, and an embodimentwithout this component is described below with reference to FIGS. 5 and6. The tamper band core 13 may be assembled within a stripper 29, whichmay push a formed cap from the mold assembly 100 after the cap isformed. In operation the base assembly 104 may move relative to upperassembly 102 to compress plastic material within the volume between thetwo assemblies.

The base assembly 104 may include a cavity 30 with a cavity bottom 32.During operation, plastic material may be loaded within the cavity 30and compressed by moving the upper or base assemblies relative to oneanother. Typically, the upper assembly 102 is threaded into a carouselwhile the base assembly 104 is attached to a press mechanism (e.g., ahydraulic ram) that raises and lowers the base assembly with respect tothe upper assembly 102. The compressed plastic material assumes theshape of the open space within the mold cavity between the base assembly104 and upper assembly 102. For example, in the assembly 100 of FIG. 1Athe compressed plastic material fills the boundaries of the cavity 30and cavity bottom 32.

The base assembly 104 may also include an outer ring 31 and a coverplate 33. The base assembly 104 may be loaded onto an adapter 34, whichmay be threaded into a support or press mechanism. A machine nut 35 mayinclude a lip that fits around the outer ring 31 and acts to retain thebase assembly 104 with the support or press mechanism.

The upper mold assembly 102 shown in FIG. 1A may include a bubbler tube14 and an air tube 15 within the mandrel 36. The air tube 15 and thebubbler tube 14 may be concentric about the longitudinal axis of themandrel 36 with the air tube 15 disposed within the bubbler tube 14. Theair tube 15 may extend to an air plug 16 within the center core 10. Airpressure may be applied through the air tube 15 and into air plug 16.During operation, air directed by the air plug 16 may be used to aidejection of a molded plastic cap off of the center core 10, such as bypreventing formation of a vacuum between the molded cap and the upperassembly 102.

Coolant, such as water or other fluids, may be supplied through thebubbler inlet 21. The bubbler inlet may be defined by interior surfacesof the bubbler tube 14 and exterior surfaces of the air tube 15. Thebubbler tube 14 may be configured to keep air and other gases out of thecoolant. Coolant may flow from the bubbler inlet 21 to a plurality ofcenter core inlets 22. The multiple center core inlets 22 may be definedby surfaces inside the center core 10. During operation, coolant mayflow from the center core inlets 22 into internal channels 23 adjacentthe cooling ring 11, with the internal channels 23 defined by the outersurface of the center core and a plurality of grooves in the innersurface of the cooling ring 11. Coolant may flow then into traversingchannels 24 defined by a plurality of holes extending radially from aninner surface to an outer surface of the cooling ring 11. Theorientation of the grooves forming the internal channels 23 and thetraversing channels 24 in the cooling ring 11 are described in moredetail below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

To seal the coolant flow paths through the several parts to preventleaks and air ingress, the assembly 100 may also include a number ofO-ring seals between the various parts. For example, in FIG. 1A, thecenter core O-ring 17 forms a seal between the center core 10 and thecooling ring 11 preventing leakage of coolant flowing in internalchannels 23 or entering traverse channels 24. Similarly, the coolingring O-ring 18 forms a seal between the thread core 12 and the coolingring 11 preventing leakage of coolant flowing in external channels 25 orexiting traverse channels 24. A mandrel O-ring 19 may form seal at thetop of the thread core 12. An air plug O-ring 20 may prevent coolant inthe center core inlets 22 from entering the air plug and prevent airfrom entering the coolant.

FIG. 1B is a close up view of a portion of the assembly 100 shown FIG.1A which better illustrates the coolant flow path 112 through theassembly in this embodiment. The coolant flow path 112 is defined byseveral surfaces of the center core 10, the cooling ring 11, and thethread core 12. Coolant flowing into the illustrated embodimentassembly, shown with a plus sign cross hatch, passes down through thebubbler tube 14 into the center core inlets 22 within the center core10. Coolant flows out of the center core inlets 22 into the internalchannels 23. The internal channels 23 are formed in the volume betweenlongitudinal grooves in the inner surface of the cooling ring 11 and theouter surface of the center core 10. Coolant flows from the internalchannels 23 into the traversing channels 24 that traverse wall of thecooling ring 11 from the inner surface of the cooling ring 11 to theouter surface of the cooling ring 11. Upon exiting the traversingchannels 24, the coolant may flow around the circumference of thecooling ring 11 in arcuate channels which direct the coolant to a returnflow path through longitudinal flow paths formed by longitudinal groovesin the outer surface of the cooling ring 11, with the flow path beingdefined by the groove structure and an inner surface of the thread core12.

FIG. 1B also illustrates features of the thread core 12. The thread core12 may include external threads 106 configured for molding the closurethreads of caps. The thread core 12 may also include internal assemblythreads 110. The center core 10 may be assembled through the coolingring 11 and engage the assembly threads 110 of the thread core 12. Suchassembly may hold the three pieces together and form the coolantchannels there between. When assembled, a plug seal gap 108 between thecooling ring 11 and the center core 10 is formed into which compressedplastic material flows during pressing operations.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show the cooling ring 11 in isolation. Referring to FIG.2, the internal flow channels 23 may be partially defined by grooves inthe inner surface of the cooling ring 11. The other surface defining theinternal channels 23 is the outer surface of the center core 10 when thecenter core 10 and cooling ring 11 are assembled together. As discussedabove, the coolant flows vertically through the internal channels 23formed between the center core 10 and the cooling ring 11 in theinternal channels 23, and then radially outward through a plurality oftraversing channels 24 that are holes passing through the wall of thecooling ring 11.

Referring to FIG. 3, coolant flowing from inside the cooling ring 11through the traversing channels 24 flows into one or more arcuatechannels 25 passing around the outside of the cooling ring 11. FIG. 3shows these arcuate channels 25 formed by grooves in the outside surfaceof cooling ring 11. The other surface defining the arcuate flow channelsis the inside of the thread core 12 when the thread core 12 and coolingring 11 are assembled together. Coolant flow through the arcuatechannels 25 to a plurality of longitudinal flow channels 26 on the outersurface of the cooling ring 11. These external longitudinal flowchannels 26 are defined on one side by the longitudinal grooves labeled26 on the outside of the cooling ring 11 and by the interior surfaces ofthe thread core 12 when the cooling ring 11 and thread core 12 areassembled together.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show an embodiment of the cooling ring 11 in which thering is formed as a single component. However, in other embodiments thecooling ring may be an assembly comprising a plurality of components.For example, a plurality of components may be joined or sealed together,such as with additional O-rings, to form a composite cooling ring. Oneor more of the plurality of components may define the various channelsas described with regard to the cooling ring 11.

FIG. 4 illustrates the same exemplary molding assembly 100 as FIG. 1Abut at a different angle of rotation about the longitudinal axis inorder to reveal the flow path of coolant exiting the mold assembly 100.In FIGS. 1A and 1B, the assembly 100 is shown in a first orientationthat shows the coolant flows into the assembly. In FIG. 4, the assemblyis rotated thirty degrees to show the coolant exit flow paths which arethirty degrees apart from the inner flow paths 23 about the cooling ring11. As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment coolant exits the traversingchannels 24 and flows through the arcuate channels 25 around the coolingring 11 before reaching external channels 26 where the flow is directedupward along the outer surface of the cooling ring 11. Again, details onthe grooves in the cooling ring forming the external flow channels 26are shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, including how these flow channels are offsetfrom each other by an angle about the longitudinal axis. In theembodiment illustrated in the figures, this offset angle isapproximately thirty degrees, but the angle may vary depending on thenumber of coolant channels in each stage of the assembly.

Coolant may flow from the external channels 26 into center core outlets27. Multiple center core outlets 27 may be defined by surfaces insidethe center core 10, similar to the center core inlets 22. The centercore outlets 27 lead the coolant flow to the bubbler outlet 28 whichdirects the coolant flow out of the molding assembly 100. The bubbleroutlet 28 flow path may pass through the volume defined by an outersurface of the bubbler tube 14 and an inner surface of the mandrel 36.

In the embodiment illustrated in the figures, coolant contacts thecenter core 10, cooling ring 11, and thread core 12 while passingthrough various volumes of the coolant flow path 112. This enables heatto be transferred from these parts to the coolant and removed from theassembly 100 as coolant flows out the bubbler outlet 28. Several stagesin the coolant flow path 112 may include multiple channels. Multiplechannels per stage may increase surface area contact with the parts andimprove heat transfer. The multiple channels and flow paths may bedesigned or arranged to ensure an even heat distribution within theparts of the mold assembly, thereby preventing local hotspots fromnegatively affecting performance of the molding assembly 100 during highvolume molding operations.

The various channels of the coolant flow path 112 may be sized withcross sectional areas designed to impart desirable coolant flowbehavior. For example, the combined cross sectional area of theplurality of center core inlets 22 may be greater than the crosssectional area of the bubbler inlet 21. The combined cross sectionalarea of the internal channels 23 may be less than the cross sectionalarea of the bubbler inlet 21. The combined cross sectional area of theexternal channels 26 may be less than the combined area of the internalchannels 23. These dimensional parameters can ensure even flow throughthe upper mold assembly 102 during operation.

The ratios of cross sectional areas between portions of the flow pathmay be configured to control coolant flow and thereby improve heattransfer. Each successive element or stage may have a flow area ratio tothe preceding stage configured to improve heat transfer in each stage.Each flow area ratio may be relative to the cross sectional area of thebubbler inlet 21 or to another stage in the coolant flow path 112. Forexample, in an assembly with the flow area ratios described above, thecenter core inlets 23 may have a greater combined cross sectional areathan other portions of the assembly. The subsequent portions of thecoolant flow path through the upper assembly 102 may have a smallercombined cross sectional area corresponding with increased flow velocityand lower pressure with constant volumetric flow. Therefore, the coolantmay experience a pressure gradient along the coolant flow path 112. Thispressure gradient can be used to regulate the coolant flow through theupper assembly 102 and improve heat transfer from the mold elements tothe coolant.

Alternate embodiments may include differently shaped center cores,cooling rings, or thread cores. These pieces may define differentamounts or shapes of flow paths or channels. Embodiments that requiremore cooling may include a greater number of coolant channels.Alternatively, embodiments that require less cooling may include lesscoolant channels and thereby reduce the amount of coolant used. Infurther embodiments, some components illustrated and described herein asseparate elements may be combined into single components exhibiting thesame or similar features and performing the same or similar functions.Also, components illustrated and described herein as unitary structuresmay be formed as assemblies of multiple components.

FIG. 5 illustrates an alternate embodiment molding assembly. Theembodiment assembly illustrated in FIG. 5 includes many of the sameelements as the mold assembly 100 described above with reference FIGS.1A, 1B 4. However, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, the centralcore 10 and cooling ring 11 are configured differently so that thebottom of the center core 10 extends all the way to the thread core 12.This embodiment may not include the plug seal gaps 108 shown in FIG. 1B,and therefore the caps produced will not have a plug seal. A plug sealmay be a seal to fit inside the lip of a container coupled with a cap.In this embodiment, the cooling ring 11 may not directly contact theplastic material being molded. Heat may be transferred from the plasticmaterial to the cooling ring 11 indirectly via the center core 10 or thethread core 12.

FIG. 6 illustrates the embodiment of FIG. 5 rotated thirty degrees toshow the coolant's exit path from the upper assembly 102. As in FIG. 5,the assembly may not include plug seal gaps 108 and the cooling ring 11may not be configured to contact the plastic material being molded.

Further embodiments include methods of cooling a molding assembly. Theseembodiment methods may include directing fluid coolant through one ormore of the structures discussed above while forming plastic parts bycompression molding. FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment method 200 inwhich fluid coolant is directed into various elements of the coolantflow path 112. Specifically, fluid coolant may be directed into orthrough a bubbler input in step 202, through a plurality of center coreinlets in step 204, through a longitudinal flow path defined byplurality of internal grooves in the cooling ring in step 206, through aplurality of holes through the cooling ring in step 208,circumferentially through flow paths defined by a plurality of arcuategrooves in the cooling ring in step 210, through a longitudinal flowpath defined by a plurality of external grooves in the cooling ring instep 212, through a plurality of center core outlets in step 214, andout of the assembly through a bubbler outlet in step 216.

The foregoing description of the various embodiments is provided toenable any person skilled in the art to make or use the presentinvention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles definedherein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from thespirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is notintended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, and instead theclaims should be accorded the widest scope consistent with theprinciples and novel features disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A molding device for molding a plastic material,comprising: a center core concentric about a central axis of the moldingdevice, the center core comprising a plurality of center core inlets anda plurality of center core outlets; a cooling ring disposed around thecenter core and concentric about the central axis of the molding device,the cooling ring comprising: a plurality of internal grooves extendingin an axial direction on an inner surface of the cooling ring; aplurality of traversing channels extending between the inner surface ofthe cooling ring and an outer surface of the cooling ring a plurality ofarcuate grooves; and a plurality of external grooves extending in theaxial direction on the outer surface of the cooling ring and offset fromthe internal grooves by an angle about the central axis of the moldingdevice; and a thread core concentric about the central axis of themolding device and disposed around the cooling ring, wherein the centercore, the cooling ring, and the thread core are configured to define afluid coolant flow path through which coolant may flow into theplurality of center core inlets, through a plurality of internalchannels bounded by the plurality of internal grooves and the centercore, through the plurality of traversing channels, through a pluralityof arcuate channels bounded by the plurality of arcuate grooves and thethread core, through a plurality of external channels bounded by theplurality of external grooves and the thread core, and through theplurality of center core outlets.
 2. The molding device of claim 1,further comprising: a bubbler coupled with the center core andcomprising a bubbler inlet and a bubbler outlet, wherein the bubbler isconfigured to further define the fluid coolant flow path so that coolantflows in through the bubbler inlet through to the center core inlets,and wherein the bubbler is configured to further define the fluidcoolant flow path so that coolant flows out from the center core outletsand out through the bubbler outlet.
 3. The molding device of claim 2,wherein the center core, the cooling ring, and the thread core areconfigured to define the fluid coolant flow paths with cross sectionalareas configured to control the coolant flow.
 4. The molding device ofclaim 3, wherein the center core is configured so that the plurality ofcenter core inlets have a larger combined cross sectional area than thebubbler inlet.
 5. The molding device of claim 4, wherein the center coreand the cooling ring are configured so that the plurality of internalchannels have a smaller combined cross sectional area than the bubblerinlet.
 6. The molding device of claim 5, wherein the thread core and thecooling ring are configured so that the plurality of external channelshave a smaller combined cross sectional area than the plurality ofinternal channels.
 7. The molding device of claim 6, wherein the centercore is configured to mold caps.
 8. The molding device of claim 7,wherein the thread core comprises external threads.
 9. The moldingdevice of claim 8, wherein the cooling ring is configured to directlycontact the plastic material during a molding operation.
 10. The moldingdevice of claim 1, wherein the molding device is an injection moldingdevice.
 11. The molding device of claim 1, wherein the molding device isa compression molding device.
 12. A method of cooling a molding devicewith a fluid coolant, the molding device comprising a bubbler, a centercore, a cooling ring, and a thread core concentric about a central axisof the molding device, the method comprising: directing the fluidcoolant into a bubbler inlet of the bubbler; directing the fluid coolantfrom the bubbler into a plurality of center core inlets of the centercore; directing the fluid coolant from the center core inlets into aplurality of internal channels bounded by a plurality of internalgrooves extending in an axial direction on an inner surface of thecooling ring and the center core; directing the fluid coolant from theplurality of internal channels into a plurality of traversing channelsextending between the inner surface of the cooling ring and an outersurface of the cooling ring; directing the fluid coolant from theplurality of traversing channels into a plurality of arcuate channelsbounded by a plurality of arcuate grooves of the cooling ring and thethread core; directing the fluid coolant from the plurality of arcuatechannels into a plurality of longitudinal flow channels defined byexternal grooves of the cooling ring and the thread core, the externalgrooves extending in the axial direction on the outer surface of thecooling ring and offset from the internal grooves by an angle about thecentral axis; directing the fluid coolant from the plurality oflongitudinal flow channels into a plurality of center core outlets ofthe center core; and directing the fluid coolant from the plurality ofcenter core outlets into a bubbler outlet of the bubbler and out of themolding device.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein: the center core,the cooling ring, and the thread core are configured so that theplurality of center core inlets have a combined cross sectional areathat is larger than the bubbler inlet; the center core and the coolingring are configured so that the plurality of internal channels have acombined cross sectional area that is smaller than the bubbler inlet;and the thread core and the cooling ring are configured so that theplurality of external channels have a combined cross sectional area thatis smaller than the plurality of internal channels.
 14. The method ofclaim 12, further comprising molding plastic caps with the center core.15. The method of claim 14, further comprising directly contacting thecooling ring with plastic material during a molding operation.
 16. Themethod of claim 15, wherein the molding operation is an injectionmolding operation.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the moldingoperation is an injection molding operation.
 18. A method ofmanufacturing, comprising: applying a molding device to a plasticmaterial, wherein the molding device comprises: a center core concentricabout a central axis of the molding device, the center core comprising aplurality of center core inlets and a plurality of center core outlets;a cooling ring disposed around the center core and concentric about thecentral axis of the molding device, the cooling ring comprising: aplurality of internal grooves extending in an axial direction on aninner surface of the cooling ring; a plurality of traversing channelsextending between the inner surface of the cooling ring and an outersurface of the cooling ring a plurality of arcuate grooves; and aplurality of external grooves extending in the axial direction on theouter surface of the cooling ring and offset from the internal groovesby an angle about the central axis of the molding device; and a threadcore concentric about the central axis of the molding device anddisposed around the cooling ring, wherein the center core, the coolingring, and the thread core are configured to define a fluid coolant flowpath through which coolant may flow into the plurality of center coreinlets, through a plurality of internal channels bounded by theplurality of internal grooves and the center core, through the pluralityof traversing channels, through a plurality of arcuate channels boundedby the plurality of arcuate grooves and the thread core, through aplurality of external channels bounded by the plurality of externalgrooves and the thread core, and through the plurality of center coreoutlets.
 19. The method of manufacturing of claim 18, wherein applying amolding device to a plastic material comprises an injection moldingoperation and the molding device is an injection molding device.
 20. Themethod of manufacturing of claim 18, wherein applying a molding deviceto a plastic material comprises a compression molding operation and themolding device is a compression molding device.